NOT REAL NEWS: A Look at What Didn't Happen This Week

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue headlines of the week. None of these stories is legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked these out; here are the real facts:

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NOT REAL: Melania Trump hired exorcist to 'cleanse White House of Obama demons'

THE FACTS: Stephanie Grisham, a spokeswoman for the first lady, said the multiple reports that Melania Trump had a ceremony to rid the White House of demons are "not true in any way." The stories come from a broadcast with Indiana pastor and radio host Paul Begley, who said that Mrs. Trump said at her husband's presidential inauguration that she would not move in to the White House until the residence was exorcised.

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NOT REAL: PUTIN ISSUES INTERNATIONAL ARREST WARRANT FOR GEORGE SOROS

THE FACTS: The Kremlin denied issuing a warrant for the billionaire liberal philanthropist, a frequent target of false news stories. It refuted multiple sites' claims that Putin had banned Soros from Russia last year for trying to destabilize its economy in the early 1990s. Soros is not wanted by any country for arrest and extradition, according to a list compiled by the international law enforcement organization Interpol.

THE FACTS: The story appearing on the AmericasFreedomFighters site correctly reports an outbreak of norovirus at the Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, with a total of 128 infected in the past week. The headline incorrectly reports that any of the cases has resulted in death. Norovirus is a common, infectious bug that causes unpleasant symptoms including diarrhea and vomiting but usually doesn't require medical attention.

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NOT REAL: NASA Will Pay You $18,000 To Stay In Bed And Smoke Weed For 70 Straight Days

THE FACTS: NASA has been willing to pay people willing to stay in bed to give scientists information on how the body adapts to weightlessness. But none of the studies involved marijuana use. The agency also hasn't conducted bed rest studies in some time. NASA has denied this false story before, which has recirculated over the past several months.

THE FACTS: Winfrey shared in an Instagram post after the January mudslides devastated the coastal town of Montecito that her property was OK. "Some mud and minor damage that pales in comparison to what my neighbors are going thru," she wrote. Several stories shared on social media that reported her home was destroyed also focused on Winfrey's Golden Globes speech on gender and racial inequality and talk of a possible presidential candidacy.

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This is part of The Associated Press' ongoing effort to fact-check misinformation that is shared widely online, including work with Facebook to identify and reduce the circulation of false stories on the platform.